Diary of a Vegas Grinder part 12: In recovery (again)
After the Friday late-night stupidity, I managed to sleep until about 8am. Got up, faffed around, and went back to bed. Didn't get into the Strip until 2.30pm.
Started off at Harrah's and it was fairly quiet until I put in a small raise with Ah 3h and got callers in the Big Blind and under the gun.
Flop came As 9s 3s, giving me top-and-bottom. There's $24 in the pot and I've only got $80-odd to play with, so the general rule when short-stacked is that you have to play rather hard with anything equal to or better than top pair top kicker (TPTK).
I bet $20, and got two callers. I'm kind of hoping that there's a draw and a bare Ace with a decent kicker (say, Ace-Jack) out against me. Neither opponent is all that good an neither looked as if they were slow-paying a flopped flush.
Turn was something like Jack of Diamonds, but I don't sense that anyone is too excited about it. I am checked round to and I decide to commit. I shove, and both opponents call.
River is also a blank, but the Under the gun initial limper shows Ace-Nine for a higher two pair (the other guy had Ace-King off).
One stack down.
I drifted down with my second stack until I hit As Jd in late. I put in a reasonable raise over two limpers and got called in the Big blind and by my nemesis in the Ace-Three hand.
flop was Jd 6h 4s, giving me TPTK. Big blind bets $20, nemesis folds, and I have to take a view. I do, and I shove. He calls. Turn and river are unexciting and opponent shows Jack-eight off. Yes, the opposition really is that bad. Back up to $190 in front of me and $50 down.
Then I put in a small raise with 5s 4s and got four callers. Flop came 5 5 Q. Bet from a bit of a tricky lag in the Big Blind. That's fairly standard. Flat call from me. Turn brings the final 5, not only giving me quads but also possibly hanging the lag out to dry if he decides to try a bluff-shove. He duly bets small and I duly call. River is a jack. Lag bets $22 and I raise to $50. He calls reluctantly. I suspect that he didn't even have a queen, more likely a very small pair. I think he might have shoved if he'd had the queen.
Ended the session $36 in front. Not bad after being $150 down at one point.
Moved to the Flamingo and had a rather tedious time of it. Qd Qh in late looked to be in trouble on a flop of Ad Kd 5h. Check to me and I bet. Big blind calls. Looks to me to be a baddish Ace. Turn brings Jd. Check from opponent and check from me. River brings 8d, giving me the nut flush. Opponent checks and I bet smallish. He calls with no diamond. Up to about $150 in front of me.
That drifts back down a bit until a laggy player who has lost a big stack shoves his remaining $50 from under the gun. That's a wide range despite being 25 Big blinds. I look down and find KK in mid. I reraise all in. He shows AA and I lose. Down to $90.
Further drifting over the next couple of hours sees me at around $60. I call a small raise and one call, with 55. Flop comes 5 5 7 two hearts, which is nice. Check from me, $6 bet from opponent and a call from me. Two players. Turn brings a six and I decide to bet small. $10 goes in and opponent calls. River brings another six.
Now, if opponent turns out to have a pair of sixes in the hole I think I will top myself. Flamingo had a $28k bad beat won a couple of days before and, that being the fourth time it had been won in a month, the poker room manager had stopped it. So all I would get would be the $50 high hand bonus, rather than the $12k that I would have got before.
I bet $10 and opponent calls and my quads, only the second-nuts, is good. Up to $55 in profit.
And $50 up is how I finished about half an hour later, also not bad from $60 down.
I had an interesting time in both games, chatting to players. The difference from the misery of the previous late-night game was like chalk and cheese. It's the chat that I like, and I am quite prepared to play against far better players if it means I get interesting chat to go with it.
So, $86 up for the day. Met a lovely guy called Sean (possibly Shaun!) from Sheffield. Looks a bit like Miles Jupp, of whom he has never heard, partly because Sean possibly Shaun lives in Hong Kong, where he teaches Mathematics.
Home, cooked meal, felt content with life. No more late-night shenanigans for me.
About $42 up for trip, plus, $120 Total Rewards rakeback, plus two freerolls nearly qualified for.
Started off at Harrah's and it was fairly quiet until I put in a small raise with Ah 3h and got callers in the Big Blind and under the gun.
Flop came As 9s 3s, giving me top-and-bottom. There's $24 in the pot and I've only got $80-odd to play with, so the general rule when short-stacked is that you have to play rather hard with anything equal to or better than top pair top kicker (TPTK).
I bet $20, and got two callers. I'm kind of hoping that there's a draw and a bare Ace with a decent kicker (say, Ace-Jack) out against me. Neither opponent is all that good an neither looked as if they were slow-paying a flopped flush.
Turn was something like Jack of Diamonds, but I don't sense that anyone is too excited about it. I am checked round to and I decide to commit. I shove, and both opponents call.
River is also a blank, but the Under the gun initial limper shows Ace-Nine for a higher two pair (the other guy had Ace-King off).
One stack down.
I drifted down with my second stack until I hit As Jd in late. I put in a reasonable raise over two limpers and got called in the Big blind and by my nemesis in the Ace-Three hand.
flop was Jd 6h 4s, giving me TPTK. Big blind bets $20, nemesis folds, and I have to take a view. I do, and I shove. He calls. Turn and river are unexciting and opponent shows Jack-eight off. Yes, the opposition really is that bad. Back up to $190 in front of me and $50 down.
Then I put in a small raise with 5s 4s and got four callers. Flop came 5 5 Q. Bet from a bit of a tricky lag in the Big Blind. That's fairly standard. Flat call from me. Turn brings the final 5, not only giving me quads but also possibly hanging the lag out to dry if he decides to try a bluff-shove. He duly bets small and I duly call. River is a jack. Lag bets $22 and I raise to $50. He calls reluctantly. I suspect that he didn't even have a queen, more likely a very small pair. I think he might have shoved if he'd had the queen.
Ended the session $36 in front. Not bad after being $150 down at one point.
Moved to the Flamingo and had a rather tedious time of it. Qd Qh in late looked to be in trouble on a flop of Ad Kd 5h. Check to me and I bet. Big blind calls. Looks to me to be a baddish Ace. Turn brings Jd. Check from opponent and check from me. River brings 8d, giving me the nut flush. Opponent checks and I bet smallish. He calls with no diamond. Up to about $150 in front of me.
That drifts back down a bit until a laggy player who has lost a big stack shoves his remaining $50 from under the gun. That's a wide range despite being 25 Big blinds. I look down and find KK in mid. I reraise all in. He shows AA and I lose. Down to $90.
Further drifting over the next couple of hours sees me at around $60. I call a small raise and one call, with 55. Flop comes 5 5 7 two hearts, which is nice. Check from me, $6 bet from opponent and a call from me. Two players. Turn brings a six and I decide to bet small. $10 goes in and opponent calls. River brings another six.
Now, if opponent turns out to have a pair of sixes in the hole I think I will top myself. Flamingo had a $28k bad beat won a couple of days before and, that being the fourth time it had been won in a month, the poker room manager had stopped it. So all I would get would be the $50 high hand bonus, rather than the $12k that I would have got before.
I bet $10 and opponent calls and my quads, only the second-nuts, is good. Up to $55 in profit.
And $50 up is how I finished about half an hour later, also not bad from $60 down.
I had an interesting time in both games, chatting to players. The difference from the misery of the previous late-night game was like chalk and cheese. It's the chat that I like, and I am quite prepared to play against far better players if it means I get interesting chat to go with it.
So, $86 up for the day. Met a lovely guy called Sean (possibly Shaun!) from Sheffield. Looks a bit like Miles Jupp, of whom he has never heard, partly because Sean possibly Shaun lives in Hong Kong, where he teaches Mathematics.
Home, cooked meal, felt content with life. No more late-night shenanigans for me.
About $42 up for trip, plus, $120 Total Rewards rakeback, plus two freerolls nearly qualified for.